It’s an exciting time for wolves — it’s the season of romance. Hormones are racing, and earlier this week red wolves Charlotte (F2121) and Jack (M1606) engaged in a copulatory tie – three times!

The gestation period (length of pregnancy) is 63 days. So, for now, keep your paws crossed that Charlotte and Jack will be welcoming priceless (and adorable) contributions to the recovery of their rare species later this spring.

Background

The Wolf Conservation Center is one of a network of facilities participating in the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan – a national initiative whose primary purpose is to support the reestablishment of red wolves in the wild through captive breeding, public education, and research.

The Red Wolf Species Survival Plan (SSP) management group determines which wolves should be bred each year by using software developed for the population management of endangered species. This is necessary because all red wolves descended from just fourteen founders rescued from extinction. Genetic diversity is the primary consideration in the selection of red wolf breeding pairs and Charlotte and Jack are a great match on paper with an extremely low inbreeding coefficient.